AGCO Corporation (NYSE:AGCO), a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of agricultural machinery and solutions, has released the final yield results from its 2020 Fendt Momentum Crop Tour.

During the 2020 growing season, field demonstration plots were planted in five locations in the United States, including Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio, North Dakota and South Dakota. In addition to evaluating the effect of equipment-induced soil compaction at all locations, the AGCO team continued its comparisons of various planting depths, downforce levels and seed singulation on corn yield at the South Dakota, Minnesota and Ohio locations.

'During the past five years, we have conducted more than 50 field comparisons in North America and around the globe demonstrating the importance of proper corn seed placement,' says Jason Lee, AGCO agronomist and farm solutions specialist. 'What we've shown is that there's no substitute for getting seed planted into adequate soil moisture at a depth sufficient enough to allow for uniform emergence and good nodal root development.'

The AGCO team compared corn plant performance and yield based on three variables: Depth - Corn was planted at six depths ranging from 1 inch to 3.5 inches.

Downforce - Corn was planted with light downforce, heavy downforce and real-time automatic downforce control provided by DeltaForce automated downforce from Precision Planting.

Spacing - Corn was planted at two singulation rates - 93% and 99% seed spacing accuracy.

Corn was planted with a Fendt Momentum planter pulled by a row-crop tractor running dual tires. All comparisons were planted in 30-inch rows, with the exception of the North Dakota location, where the corn was planted in 22-inch rows.

Takeaway No. 1: Plant into moisture and no less than 1.5 inches deep

Crop Tour comparisons verify there can be yield penalties when corn is planted too shallow or too deep. Plant too shallow (1-inch-deep or less), and the corn plant's nodal roots will develop at or just below the soil surface. Limited nodal root development is detrimental especially when conditions turn hot and dry. Lee says this was especially evident at the Ohio location where soil was wet at planting, then dry during the growing season. Corn planted 1-inch-deep exhibited more tip-back on the ears than corn in rows planted at 1.5 inches or deeper, due to the combination of poor nodal root development and dry growing conditions.

'When we get tip-back, there is little or no kernel development on the last one or more inches of the ear tip. That's lost yield potential,' Lee says. 'Over the past five years, we found that corn planted 1.5-inches-deep yielded 13 more bushels per acre on average than corn planted 1-inch-deep. At current corn prices, we're talking about $50 or more in lost return per acre due to planting too shallow.'

In certain conditions, planting too deep can reduce the total number of plants that emerge and cause uneven emergence. Reduced emergence lowers the overall plant population; uneven emergence leads to runt plants that can't compete with their neighbors for resources. Both reduce yield potential. At the Ohio location, corn planted 3 inches deep yielded 6 bushels per acre more in 2020 than corn planted 3.5 inches deep - a difference that closely mirrors the five-year average.

'Typically, a planting depth of 2 inches will provide the maximum yield potential in most planting conditions. This can vary, however, and adjustments should be made based on soil moisture and the extended weather forecast,' Lee says. 'We know that planting depth is a simple adjustment to set, but it's such a critical piece to maximizing corn yield.'

Takeaway No. 2: Don't skimp on downforce

Once proper planting depth is determined, it's crucial that enough downforce is placed on each row unit to maintain that depth. Inconsistent depth control can also lead to uneven corn emergence, resulting in yield loss.

Contact:

Tel: 770-232-8018

Fendt and Momentum are registered trademarks of AGCO. AGCO Crop Tour is a trademark of AGCO. Precision Planting, DeltaForce and vSet are registered trademarks of Precision Planting LLC.

(C) 2021 Electronic News Publishing, source ENP Newswire